Cottondale climate

Cottondale Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Chipley, 16.7 km from Cottondale, elevation 130 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Chipley. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around March 5 and the first fall freeze around November 21, a growing season of about 263 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 21, first November 9
Median at 32°F
last March 5, first November 21
Median at 28°F
last February 16, first December 8

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 8Apr 3Mar 31Mar 26Mar 21Mar 18Mar 13Mar 7Feb 27
32°FMar 27Mar 20Mar 16Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 25Feb 18Feb 7
28°FMar 14Mar 6Feb 28Feb 23Feb 16Feb 11Feb 4Jan 31Jan 18
24°FFeb 28Feb 20Feb 12Feb 6Feb 2Jan 29Jan 21Jan 13Dec 31
20°FFeb 14Feb 6Feb 2Jan 31Jan 25Jan 18Jan 11Jan 2Dec 26
16°FFeb 12Feb 5Feb 2Jan 31Jan 27Jan 22Jan 17Jan 9Dec 31

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 27Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 29
32°FNov 4Nov 9Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 16
28°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 28Dec 2Dec 8Dec 15Dec 26Jan 3Jan 15
24°FDec 1Dec 8Dec 19Dec 27Jan 1Jan 8Jan 14Jan 23Feb 2
20°FDec 12Dec 25Jan 1Jan 6Jan 12Jan 17Jan 25Feb 1Feb 6
16°FDec 27Jan 3Jan 10Jan 17Jan 20Jan 26Jan 31Feb 3Feb 9

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F264252246240233229224217210
32°F298285276269263257251244235
28°F336322312303296287280273260
24°F365360347337330323315305291
20°F365365365365365358345334323
16°F365365365365365365365365346

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
99% of years
24°F or colder
86% of years
20°F or colder
49% of years
16°F or colder
17% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
1,638
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,662
Growing degree days, base 40°F
10,179
Growing degree days, base 45°F
8,422
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,760
Growing degree days, base 55°F
5,232
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,858

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January44110139
February31014172
March18348345
April60114505
May5311770
June0468918
July05461,011
August0532997
September1397846
October45171592
November21638291
December37715177

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 16.7 km from Cottondale. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00081544 (Chipley). Public domain.